ERIC WILSON is a hero to Canadians and, indeed, to kids all over the world who have read his books. He embodies the qualities that define Canadians. He is honest, forthright and unassuming. He is also a successful writer of mystery stories for children, having sold more than 1.5 million books in Canada alone and another one million books in 10 languages around the globe. With sales in Spain exceeding 650,000 and with the recent sale of six of his books to Japan, there seems to be no limit to Eric’s global popularity.

BUT Eric Wilson is also a Canadian who believes devoutly in his country; he has made many personal appearances at schools and Young Authors Conferences to bring his message of hope and optimism for the future to the younger generation.

ERIC’S childhood was spent in the diverse regions of Canada as his family moved often to accompany his father who was a career RCMP officer. This experience gave Eric a unique appreciation for the vastness and variety inherent in Canadian culture and geography. His mystery series takes readers to every Canadian province and to Nunavut.

PART of Eric’s determination to achieve success can be traced to his desire to make the world a better place for children. He plans to create a charitable foundation which will provide the means for kids to help other kids. Eric envisions a Board of Directors made up entirely of young people who will be empowered to make the decisions on how and where the money is to be spent.

For all grade 6/7 students, Battle of the Books kicks off this week. The first battle is on Thursday at 1:00 in the gym. Get your questions sheets handed in to Mrs. Roberts ASAP. Also, don’t forget to finish your team flags for Thursday’s battle. Hope you are all looking forward to this year’s Battle as much as I am!